A Reflection of Life
by ibelle
Summary: Lily Evans finds the Mirror of Erised.  Written for the Mirror of Erised Challenge by lost in my design over on the HP Challenges forum.
1. Chapter 1

Written for the Mirror of Erised Competition by lost in my design over on the HP Challenges forum. My character was Lily Evans (Potter) i hope i did her justice. Three chapters.

This is my first ever fanfic so i hope you like it and please give some constructive reviews.

Thanks for reading and Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K Rowling owns it all.

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><p>'Freak'<br>That word echoed though Lily's head. She could not stop thinking about her sister and how she spat that last word at her before she left, leaving Lily to board the train while tears streaked down her cheeks.

Was she a freak? She didn't think so, but maybe she was and they were actually sending her away for the safety of others, away to be with people like her. Lily was glad she had Severus to comfort her on the train so that her tears eventually started to stop and her breathing slowed.

Severus explained everything she wanted to know about the world of magic and it became even more magical the more he talked.

But Severus was on the other side of the castle now. He had been sorted into Slytherin and Lily had been sorted into Gryffindor- the two opposites.

So there sat Lily, her face red and botchy with tear tracks visible on her cheeks in one of the squashy armchairs of the Gryffindor common room. She didn't feel like sleeping, her eyes were wide-awake and her brain was mulling over the day she had.

Lily of all people wasn't one to sit around and considering she had no chance of sleeping, she decided to explore. Yes, Lily knew that she shouldn't be leaving the common room at this time and she also knew that she had no way of getting herself back here should she become lost. So dismissing these thoughts she convinced herself that a walk was maybe all she needed to clear her head. Lily got up quietly from the chair, walked over to the portrait hole, let herself out and ignored the Fat Lady's cries of warnings as she walked down the corridor.

She had no idea where she was going and she tried to memorise where she had come from but her head was full of other things and was not up for remembering if she turned right or left at the end of the second corridor she walked down. She walked further and further around the castle listening to the sounds her feet made against the stone floor as she walked. She was surprised she hadn't met anyone whilst walking, Severus had told her about Filch and his mad cat and about Peeves who liked nothing better than causing havoc.

Her legs were getting tired after about the hundredth staircase she had climbed. Lily was now getting anxious about not being able to find the way back, although she still didn't care about it too much. She sat down on a window ledge, pulled her legs up so she could hug them with her arms and looked out across the grounds. The grounds were so peaceful yet so alive, the lake always rippling and birds flying high above the forbidden forest. She wished Petunia were here to see what she could see, but as soon as she though of this wish tears fell thick and fast and blurred her vision of the grounds.

'_Freak'… 'Its for our safety'… 'Weirdos, that's what you two are'…_

She heard something make a swishing noise behind her and she whipped her head around to see who was but no one was there, only the large, curved ornamental door that was there before was behind her. Wait, was it there before? She looked closely at it now. Wiping the tears from underneath her eyes as she stood and walked to the door cautiously. She placed her hand on its handle and immediately had every urge to turn it. And so she did.

Lily peered around the doors edge and she saw herself peering right back.  
>It was a mirror.<br>Lily closed the door behind her; it clicked into place and made the same swishing noise it had when she arrived as soon as her hand left the handle. She stood facing the door for a moment and then turned on her heels to face the mirror once more. Lily found herself in the tiniest room. Tall windows occupied the walls that the door and mirror didn't, allowing moonlight to flood in. She stared at the mirror and slowly revolved her head around its delicately carved frame. It was quite handsome yet it looked so old, it was as tall as the room itself and had large curved top inscribed with the phase: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on woshi.

As soon as Lily peeled her eyes off the strange words and looked into the mirror she saw that she wasn't standing in the room alone. Two people stood on either side of her: Petunia and Severus. Both were smiling and laughing and both holding her hands.

Lily looked at her hands and couldn't see fingers intertwined with them, she looked right and left, but neither Severus nor Petunia could be seen laughing and smiling beside her. She stuck out her hands, if they were invisible she would be able to feel them, thought how ever hard she tried she couldn't.

What kind of mirror was this? Maybe she was hallucinating? But something told her this was magic. Beautiful, beautiful magic.


	2. Chapter 2

_No he can't have called her that, can't have … can't have? He did… _  
>'…Mudblood…'<br>He was the one person who didn't, the one person who would never, he was the person who told her that being that didn't matter. But it did.  
>Lily was running, running faster though the castle than she had ever before, because he would try to say sorry. Saying sorry wouldn't erase what he had said. Lily hoped whatever James did while she wasn't there would be humiliating. She was sick of saving him every single time. He deserved it now.<br>She could no longer make out details of her surroundings, her eyes filled with tears.

She was still running, pushing though crowds of people headed to the lake, enjoying the end of O.W.L's and the beautiful day. She ran until she could run no longer, slumping herself down on the ground, back against a wall.

Tears stung her eyes. Knees pulled up to her chest. Hugging them tight. Never letting go.

She sat there for hours. No-one ever came this way in the castle, that was good.

A swishing noise broke the silence, she didn't want to look up. It must be Severus she thought. But how had he found her? Would he really want to find her now? After what he said…

_She wasn't going to look up. Wasn't. Was not. Was. No Lily fight the curiosity, fight…_

She was too curious for her own good, she looked up. Only a little.

She couldn't see any feet, although she was surprised she could see anything at the minute.

She lifted her head higher. No one was there. Just a door. That door.

She was on her feet quickly. She was excited. This mirror made her feel better last time. Lily opened the door, peered around the corner and saw herself, peering right back. She didn't hesitate, she closed the door and walked straight up to it.

She didn't see Petunia this time. She saw Severus, just her and Severus holding hands like before both smiling.

'Why did you call me M-Mudblood, Sev?' Her voice was calm but inquisitive.

No answer, she didn't expect one. The Severus reflection smiled, he didn't look the same and now that Lily looked neither did her reflection.

They looked older and Severus looked, different. She could tell why he was different, he was the Severus who didn't care about the Dark Arts, the Severus who never would've called her Mudblood, the Severus who, who… Loved her.

Lily sank to her knees.

Tears came to her eyes once again, they hadn't stopped for long.

Lily watched the reflections; Severus picked her back up from where she knelt on the ground, he put his hand around her waist and she put hers around his. They smiled at the real Lily who had not blinked since the reflection Severus had helped her reflection up. Lily still watched as Severus turned to reflection Lily and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

Lily could feel herself blushing now. She turned her head away from the mirror, but was unable to keep it away for long. The reflection of herself had also blushed and was in shock, the real Lily could tell it was a good sort of shock.

The shock wore of from the reflection's face. She then smiled a smile that made her eyes twinkle and swiftly kissed reflection Severus back. This time it was his turn to blush, Lily doubted if anyone had ever seen Severus Snape blush before.

Lily knew then that it couldn't ever be real. This wasn't the Severus who had called her Mudblood, this wasn't the Severus who was obsessed with the Dark Arts, this was the Severus who loved her, that couldn't be true.

She needed to find him to tell him what he meant to her.

Where would she find him though?

Lily glanced up at the mirror before she left. That was what she wanted the most.

Lily closed the door behind her turned around, and nearly ran right into Severus.

His face was blotchy his eyes are red, his cheeks are stained with tears. Lily needed more time to compose herself, more time to think about what she was going to say.

'Lily?... I… I…' He stammered.

But before he could utter a single word she pulled him into a hug. Lily could feel he was tense at the sudden embrace, he relaxed after a moment and put his arms around her.

They stood there hugging while crying on each other, Lily finally spoke.

'I' m sorry' she sniffed.

'Sorry for w-what? I… I should be the one who is sorry' He whispered, ending in a sniffle. 'I' am sorry, I should never have called you that. I mean it. Sorry.'

This time Severus hugged her, fresh tears fell from his eyes. 'Sorry, sorry, sorry' he repeated quietly into her shoulder.

'No matter how many times you say it Sev, I got it the first time' she mumbled and then sighed ' I've gone my way and you have to go yours, I understand. But we will all ways be friends Sev, best friends'.

She hugged him tighter, never wanting to let go. Though when she let go she gave him the biggest smile making her green almond-shaped eyes twinkle, before kissing him softly on the cheek and making him blush. 'Best friends, Sev. Best friends' she repeated before giving him one last smile while regretting that she now had to walk away.


	3. Chapter 3

'The Fidelius Charm I expect would be the best for you, James and the child, Lily' said Dumbledore. 'I guess Mr. Black would be the Secret Keeper?'

'He would, James would want it that way. Sirius is good friends with us both, he would never give us away'

'Good, now we should go about placing it on your house as soon as possi- Lily?' Dumbledore stopped mid sentence. Lily had got up from her seat and turned towards the place where she had seen something move, she had seen herself move.

She didn't move towards the mirror this time. She had stopped. She gazed at the large ornamental frame. This was the one.

'Have you seen the Mirror of Erised before Lily?' Dumbledore's tone was soft, Lily thought he knew more than he was letting her know.

'Yes' she whispered.

'It shows not your face but your hearts desire'

Lily's Eyes glazed over, her brain recalling flashbacks of the mirror.

_…She stood hand in hand with Severus and Petunia… he pulled her up off the floor… smiling and laughing… a kiss on her lips…_

'Your hearts desire?'

She looked at Dumbledore, he tilted his head toward the mirror as if to say 'Go on, I know you want to look into it again'.

She walked cautiously towards the mirror and glanced back at Dumbledore before turning to face the mirror one last time.

She saw him again. He is an adult now, dressed fully in black and as handsome as always with his hand intertwined with hers. His black eyes aren't cold, they show warmth and love beneath.

Severus is different, this Severus never went to Voldemort, this Severus left the Dark Arts forever and wont go back, this Severus loves her and has always.

There are more people behind them. Sirius, Remus, Peter and James. This James is a friend just like the others, he never jinxed people for fun and looks as mature as he ever could, this James is not her husband.

Lily's eyes found the last person in the mirror: A boy standing shyly behind her legs his hand holding hers, no older than eight. She knelt down to be at his height and placed the palm of her hand on the mirror's surface.

The boy slowly stepped out from behind reflection Lily's legs but his hand remained holding firmly onto hers. The boy was quite handsome: he had long black hair that hung around his face like a curtain and a nose that is halfway between hooked and normal and his eyes are the brightest green and shaped like an almond. The boy had exactly her eyes.

It was when Lily stared directly into those bright green eyes that the tears came. She knew who this boy was: It was her son, the son she wished she could have with Severus.

The boy placed his hand under her hand; they never met.

Tears were cascading down her cheeks. They were not tears of sorrow they were tears of happiness. She still smiled even though she knew this was a reflection of life she could never have.

Dumbledore spoke and she snapped back into reality. 'Its been the same after all this time Lily?'

'Always'

'Curious, I expect that he'd say the same about you.'

Lily turned back to the mirror and stared and the dark-haired, green-eyed boy once more, longing for him to be real.


End file.
